AS AUSTRALIA'S 42nd Parliament made history in Canberra, it was
also being remade at schools around the nation.

At Ross Hill Primary School in Inverell, students aged five to
11 staged a special reconciliation assembly to mark the
Government's apology to indigenous people.

On Tuesday the older children had watched Phillip Noyce's 2002
film Rabbit-Proof Fence.

"Many people affected by the tragedy of the stolen generations
live in Inverell today," the principal, Jenny Murray, told the
children.

This was an event to remember, she said, because "no matter
where you live or what you do in your life, it is important to
recognise when there has been a mistake made an apology is a step
towards solving problems".

Harry White, 58, who works with indigenous students in six local
schools and was removed from his mother at age four in nearby
Manilla, told the assembly it was "a sad story, of an attempted
means of getting rid of the Aboriginal race".

"It was meant to be a new beginning, but it turned out to be a
nightmare."

They were strong words, but tempered from a speech he gave the
day before at Inverell High, when he talked of "a story of
attempted genocide".

"It's an enlightening chapter in the kids' learning. A lot of
them haven't heard of the stolen generations," he said. "My role is
to soften it for them and explain it."

Ronald Blair, 11, welcomed the school to Kamilaroi country with
his year-six classmate Taylor-Blaze Simpkins, also 11. Both
described themselves as proud members of the Kamilaroi nation.

Ronald, one of 80 indigenous students at Ross Hill, said he
could not imagine the scenes he witnessed in the film happening
today. His non-indigenous classmate, Jack Benfield, described the
film as "kind of dark in some places".

In all, Ross Hill, where about one in eight students are
indigenous, was a model for how the NSW Department of Education had
asked schools to commemorate the occasion. The Aboriginal flag
flew, elders were invited, and all students from Year 3 up were
involved.

The school uses Board of Studies materials about the stolen
generations in its classes, runs several Commonwealth-funded
intervention programs to lift indigenous attendance and results,
and employs six Aboriginal teachers aides.

But many of its teachers were not taught the history of the
stolen generations at university and were still learning about it
themselves, Mrs Murray told the Herald. "All the parents
that I'm aware of, non-indigenous and indigenous, have been
supportive of this," she said.

The teaching of indigenous heritage at events like these had
drawn in Aboriginal parents who had had bad experiences with
education, Mr White said.

As the ceremony drew to a close, the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd,
appeared on a screen to apologise - although the attention span of
those gathered, however impressive, required that his following
speech be cut short. And with the other formalities done, it was
time to sing both verses of the national anthem.

1202760399037-smh.com.auhttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/school-lesson-apologise-when-you-make-a-mistake/2008/02/13/1202760399037.htmlsmh.com.auSydney Morning Herald2008-02-14School lesson: apologise when you make a mistakeJoel Gibson Indigenous Affairs Reporter in InverellNationalhttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/building-a-nation-together/2008/02/13/1202760398942.htmlBuilding a nation togethertext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/a-simple-word-with-so-much-meaning/2008/02/13/1202760399028.htmlA simple word with so much meaningtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/never-never-again/2008/02/13/1202760399031.htmlNever, never againtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/the-last-of-the-white-blindfolds/2008/02/13/1202760398945.htmlThe last of the white blindfoldstext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/nanna-nungala-fejo-shared-sorrow-and-joy-with-pm/2008/02/13/1202760398977.htmlNanna Nungala Fejo shared sorrow and joy with PMtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/by-fostering-trust-apology-can-close-gap/2008/02/13/1202760398968.htmlBy fostering trust, apology can close gaptext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/relief-and-renewed-optimism/2008/02/13/1202760398986.htmlRelief, and renewed optimismtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/apology-flashes-around-the-globe/2008/02/13/1202760398990.htmlApology flashes around the globetext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/thanks--but-now-lets-talk-compensation/2008/02/13/1202760398983.htmlThanks - but now let's talk compensationtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/libs-stage-boycott-as-nelson-heckled/2008/02/13/1202760398971.htmlLibs stage boycott as Nelson heckledtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/fathers-pain-likened-to-other-sorrow/2008/02/13/1202760398980.htmlFather's pain likened to other sorrowtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/one-notable-absentee/2008/02/13/1202760398995.htmlOne notable absenteetext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/after-30-years-of-denial-come-tears-of-relief/2008/02/13/1202760399040.htmlAfter 30 years of denial come tears of relieftext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/caught-up-in-a-scientific-racism-designed-to-breed-out-the-black/2008/02/13/1202760399034.htmlCaught up in a scientific racism designed to breed out the blacktext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/heal-the-past-embrace-the-future/2008/02/13/1202760399049.htmlHeal the past, embrace the futuretext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/a-question-of-identity-from-a-tender-age/2008/02/13/1202760399046.htmlA question of identity from a tender agetext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/leaders-hope-commitment-to-fix-disadvantage-will-follow-fast/2008/02/13/1202760399043.htmlLeaders hope commitment to fix disadvantage will follow, fasttext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/radio-callers-outraged-im-disgusted-says-one/2008/02/13/1202760398974.htmlRadio callers outraged: I'm disgusted, says onetext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/kevin-rudds-sorry-speech/2008/02/13/1202760379056.htmlKevin Rudd's sorry speechtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/brendan-nelsons-sorry-speech/2008/02/13/1202760366050.htmlBrendan Nelson's sorry speechtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/brendan-nelsons-sorry-speech/2008/02/13/1202760366050.htmlBrendan Nelson's sorry speechtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/brendan-nelsons-sorry-speech/2008/02/13/1202760366050.htmlBrendan Nelson's sorry speechtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/news/national/brendan-nelsons-sorry-speech/2008/02/13/1202760366050.htmlBrendan Nelson's sorry speechtext/html-documenthttp://www.smh.com.au/polls/politics/form.htmlRate the apologytext/html-pollhttp://www.smh.com.au/polls/politics/form.htmlRate the apologytext/html-pollhttp://www.smh.com.au/polls/politics/form.htmlRate the apologytext/html-pollhttp://www.smh.com.au/polls/politics/form.htmlRate the apologytext/html-pollhttp://www.smh.com.au/polls/politics/form.htmlRate the apologytext/html-poll